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Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’

Types of Prostate Cancer Treatment

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Medical science has come a long way as far as cancer treatment is concerned and though there is limited success with certain kind of cancer, as far as Prostate cancer is concerned, there has been tremendous improvement.

The conduct options for prostate cancer depend in part on whether the tumor has spread. For tumors that are still within the prostate, radiation treatment and a surgery called radical prostatectomy are common treatment options. Watchful waiting is also a treatment option. In this approach, no treatment is set until the tumor gets bigger. Watchful waiting may be the best option for an adult man who has a higher risk of dying from something other than his prostate cancer.

There are treatment alternatives are broadly available today. One or more of these may be chosen by you and your physician once the pros and cons of each are carefully weighed. Additionally, a number of less frequent treatment options are existing.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy consists of utilizing of high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation works by damaging the DNA that is required by cells to grow and divide.

Radiation is centered in such a way as to break and kill as much of the cancer as possible, while minimizing the amount of healthy nearby tissue that is affected.

Watchful Waiting

In certain men, an approach of maintenance active treatment may be used. While dealing is withheld, the patient is monitored closely for signs of change in their disease or the development of new symptoms. If it is determined at any time that the cancer is improving, active treatment may then be started.

Hormonal Therapy

Male sex hormones, such as testosterone, are created naturally within the body. Prostate cancer can develop in response to these hormones, so therapy to block the production or results of these hormones is sometimes used.

Surgery

The principal goals of surgery are to eliminate the cancerous tissue from the body, to remove other structures that may contain cancer (such as lymph nodes), and to minimize damage to any normal, cancer-free tissues and organs that are nearby.

Follow-up care after treatment for prostate cancer is vital. Checkups help ensure that any amends in your health are treated and noted if needed. Checkups may include biopsies, x-rays, lab tests, or other tests. Among scheduled visits, you should call your doctor if you have any health problems.

Kiss Of The Sun

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Excessive expose to sunlight can cause skin cancer as well as premature wrinkling and aging of the skin. In proper amounts, however, the sun’s rays can be good for your health.

What are some of the good things about sunlight?

To start with, sunlight kills germs. That’s why it is important to sun and air out blankets, quilts, and other items that are not washed regularly and sterilized in an automatic dryer.

Appropriate amounts of sunshine also give the skin a healthy glow and help make it smooth and pliable. A fairly tanned skin is more defiant to sunburns and infections than untanned skin.

Sunlight elevates the mood for most people, producing a sense of well-being. Combined with active exercise, sunshine is an important adjunct in treating acute and chronic depressions. Remember, when depressed during cold and gloomy months; try to catch any possible ray of sunshine.

What about the bad ones?

Sunlight is a major risk factor for skin cancer, especially in light-skinned people. Too much sunlight, for them, may be particularly damaging.

You should also know that burning the skin is extremely harmful for everyone. Every burn destroys healthy, living tissue. Repeated burns cause irreversible damage and can set up a person for skin cancer.

And if all that isn’t bad enough, repeated deep tanning of the skin and even repeated sunburn gradually destroy its elasticity and its oil glands, producing wrinkling and premature aging.

What are some guidelines for healthy, safe exposure to sunlight?

  • A few minutes of sunshine on your hands and face each day will produce all the vitamin D you need.
  • Wear protective clothing, eyewear and a protective sunscreen if needed. Be especially careful around white sandy beach or water and on cloudy days.
  • If you have an outside trip or vacation coming up, set up your skin by giving it progressive exposure in the days beforehand, to the point of pinking up.

For thousand of years, sunlight has been known as a mediator of life. But we know today that it can be healing or destructive; it can be kiss of life or the kiss of death, depending on how we use it!